Saiyuki Reload -burial-: No Filler + Koichi Ohata = Best Saiyuki Anime

[This Review is in Dedication to the Memory of My Father, Zoltan M. Horvath, who Passed Away this Morning.  I Love You, Apu, and I Miss You Already.]

After Saiyuki Reload Gunlock, the last of the Saiyuki TV series, ended in September of 2004 there weren't anymore Saiyuki anime productions for a short while.  Three years later, Studio Pierrot teamed with ARMS to create a new, three-episode OVA series that would continue off from where Reload Gunlock left off in terms of actual manga adaptation; remember, though Reload Gunlock did use the Hazel Arc from the Reload manga, it was an altered story that went in its own direction, not to mention that Gunlock skipped over what this OVA covers.  It slowly came out across 2007, from April to December (March of 2008 if you want to count the Standard Edition of Volume 3), and this OVA, Saiyuki Reload -burial-, is easily the best Saiyuki anime I've seen.

This OVA covers the Burial story arc of the Reload manga, which is a flashback arc that takes place both before & after the original Saiyuki manga's flashback arc, titled Be There.  The first episode is roughly 45 minutes long & is split up into two portions: Ukoku's Chapter & Sanzo's Chapter.  Ukoku's Chapter is about the previous Sanzo of China & Genjo Sanzo's master, Koumyou Sanzo, and his first meeting with a monk named Kenyuu; Kenyuu is a genius at mastering sutras and could easily become a Sanzo, but his rebellious attitude combined with his uncaring outlook on life makes Kenyuu's master, Godai Sanzo, hesitant to consider him as a successor.  Sanzo's Chapter is about Genjo Sanzo's arrival at the Chang'an Temple & his eventual realizing at what it means to be a Sanzo Priest.  The second episode, Son Goku's Chapter, is roughly 25-minutes long and details the first meeting of Goku & Sanzo, as well as how the two became an inseperable duo.  The third episode, Gojyo & Hakkai's Chapter, is roughly 30-minutes long and is about how Gojyo & Hakkai, who end up living together, realize that, even though they may be different people, they have similar-enough backgrounds to make them have to rely on each other in life.

While Kibou no Zaika had relatively little action scenes, Burial has even fewer, instead focusing on telling a slow-paced story, and that is easily the best thing about of this OVA.  All four stories are handled excellently and all of them are pretty serious & heavy in terms of content.  Whether it's Ukoku's focus on taking what you feel is yours, even if you don't exactly deserve it, Sanzo's focus on realizing that heavy burdens shouldn't be a negative to fear, but rather are an obstacle to overcome, Goku's focus on the idea that no one should be left alone, or Gojyo & Hakkai's focus on helping others, even when you feel there's no need to get involved, all four stories are simply engrossing to watch, and though there is comedy, it's usually darker in execution (except for Goku's comedy, naturally).

Another excellent part about this OVA is that it is all taken from the manga.  That's right, this is the first Saiyuki anime to be 100% "filler" free!  And, honestly, Saiyuki's story shines the best when it's about the characters & their personal hardships;  Kazuya Minekura does great action, no doubt, but her stories about her leads' pasts and how it all comes back to them at different points are just the true meat of Saiyuki.  It's in these character-driven stories that you really get to understand how the Sanzo Party operates on an individual level, and that's always a welcome change of pace from the more action-oriented stories.

Though Studio Pierrot handled the overall production, the animation itself was handled by ARMS, the studio that made hentai that was so profitable that they ended up becoming a traditional anime studio.  And, really, though the animation is exactly super-fluid or anything like that, there is a noticeable improvement in the animation; everything looks higher-budget, and none of the limited-animation tricks that the TV series was known for are present here.  This is, from what I have seen, Saiyuki anime at its finest...  Though, for all I know, the Saiyuki Gaiden OVA might look even better.

What might surprise some people, though, is the man who directed this OVA: Koichi Ohata; yeah, the same Koichi Ohata who created titles like Genocyber, Cybernetics Guardian, Burst Angel, & something called M.D. Geist.  But, honestly, Koichi Ohata knows how to handle slow-paced titles, and he did a great job at making sure that every episode has your attention from start to finish.  The character designs for this OVA were done by a person named YONZO, and this person did a great job at making every character look just like their original manga art.  I don't know who did the music for this OVA, but it's definitely different from the TV series, with a lot more slower & somber pieces; unfortunately, there is no song in this OVA that's memorable like the TV series.  To make up for that, though, is the opening theme, Late-show by GARDEN, which is very much like the stories in this OVA and absorbingly addictive to listen to; the fact that the lyrics were written by Minekura herself also lends a great feeling that this song is the "theme" of Saiyuki, and that is what makes this, in my opinion, the best of the Saiyuki opening themes.  The ending theme, shiny moon by Toshihiko Seki, Souichiro Hoshi & Hiroaki Hirata, is a nice little song sung by three of the leads and makes a nice bookend to each episode.

The original TV series cast is brought back for this OVA, so I'll focus on the characters that I haven't brought up before.  Kenyuu is voiced by Kousuke Toriumi (Hajime Saitou in Hakuoki, Strider Hiryu from the Strider series), and he does a great job at making Kenyuu sound like a youger version of his older self, Ukoku Sanzo/Dr. Ni Jienyi, who is voiced by Houchu Ohtsuka (Tapp in Dragonar, Jiraiya in Naruto); in fact, Toriumi does such a good job that I thought Ohtsuka was doing Kenyuu the whole time until I checked over at ANN.  Koumyou Sanzo is voiced by Mitsuru Miyamoto (Nakagawa in Kochikame, Roger Smith in Big O), and he does an excellent job in making Koumyou sound like the easy-going 39-year-old Sanzo that the character is.  Finally of note is Kouryu/Young Genjo Sanzo, who is voiced by Kahoru Sasajima.

Saiyuki Reload -burial- is easily the best Saiyuki anime production that I have seen so far.  It's lack of filler, extreme accuracy to not only the story but also the look of Saiyuki, and absorbingly slow pace just puts this title heads and heels above any of the other Saiyuki anime I have seen.  When Sentai Filmworks first said that they had licensed a recent Saiyuki OVA I was hoping it was Reload -burial- so badly (David Williams stated that they had licensed a new "Saiyuki Requiem OVA", so it was unknown which title he meant).  When it was revealed that Sentai specifically licensed the more-recent Saiyuki Gaiden OVA I was still happy, since I had not seen that OVA, but the main problem is that Sentai announced their license to Saiyuki Gaiden while it was still being released in Japan, and therefore more than a year has gone by and there still isn't a solicitation or even a rough release month for Saiyuki Gaiden.  Had Sentai licensed Reload -burial- a year ago they would have already gotten the title out already & would have bought it up as soon as possible.  But, hey, hopefully Saiyuki Gaiden does well for Sentai & then we get Reload -burial- later on...  I'd be fine with that.

Saiyuki -Kibou no Zaika-: It's "Interactive"... Yet It's Not

After the Saiyuki "Premium" OVA was released in 1999, the manga received a proper TV anime adaptation, Gensoumaden Saiyuki, in 2000, and ADV licensed & released both the entire TV series as well as the 2001 theatrical movie, Saiyuki Requiem.  Out of the "Gensoumaden" anime series, though, there is one entry that was never licensed, and that's likely because it wasn't a traditional anime...  Though the only way to watch it with any sort of English translation removes that untraditional element completely.

There is no title splash during the footage, so you all get a screencap of the menu screen!

Saiyuki -Kibou no Zaika-/-Hope's Offense- was originally released in 2002 by Enix, shortly before the company's merger with Squaresoft to become Square-Enix.  Unlike most OVAs, though, Kibou no Zaika was actually what the package called a "DVD Interactive Animation", which meant that while watching the story play out you would interact with the story by making choices & matching buttons prompts, and you could even jot down passwords so that you could stop and return to the story at another time...  At least, that's what I can gather from the back cover of the bootleg DVD I have of this.  You see, the bootleg company that released their own version of this DVD removed all of the choices &, potentially, bad endings, essentially turning this into a 45-minute OVA, which is actually how most anime fans have identified this production.  So when all of the interactive elements of an interactive DVD are removed, does that still make it an interactive DVD in essence?  I don't really know the answer to that, but I can guarantee that this is one of the best entries in the Saiyuki anime series.

The Sanzo Party are getting bored, since they haven't had any sort of excitement for the past two days.  Sanzo & Hakkai do recall an odd sight from right before dawn that morning, though: A purple-colored streak of light in the sky that was moving too slow to be a shooting star.  Kanzeon Bousatsu, the "Merciful Goddess" who's watching over the group, though, identifies the light as the Pearl Jade, a small stone that has the power to grant the user of its choice any wish.  Knowing that it could be potentially used to revive Gyuumaoh, Kanzenmon Bousatsu decides to send the Sanzo Party after it, even though it would send them going south rather than the west they want to go.  Kougaiji & his group find out about it as well and decide to try & beat Gyokumen Koushu, who has already sent out a mysterious wandering monk, to the Pearl Jade.  They all end up converging upon a small village, where a small girl named Kasane is using the Jade's power to heal the injuries of the people in the village.

Kibou no Zaika's best asset is that it's actually a pretty slow-paced story, letting the viewer really get a feel for how powerful the Jade might actually be.  In fact, the first portion of the story is about the Sanzo Party journeying to a different village, where a box holding the items to seal the Jade is held.  In order to get the box, though, the Sanzo Party has to take out the zombie-like demons that are terrorizing the village.  Yeah, it does come off like a video game, but considering that this was originally an interactive DVD, i.e. a "game", I'll let it slide.  In fact, this whole RPG-adventure feel kind of fits the Sanzo Party well.  After that game-like battle, which even seems to have the viewer match buttons presses to shrinking circles when the demons attack (but in this bootleg you just sit back and watch), there are only two other battles: A short skirmish between the Sanzo Party & Kougaiji's group & the final battle between Gyokumen Koushu's "monk" & the Sanzo Party.  The relative lack of fighting really lets the story take center stage, and it's honestly a really good story.

The main focus of the story is on Kasane & how her newfound healing powers can be both a blessing & a curse.  In fact, she technically doesn't gain healing powers from the Pearl Jade, but rather her wish is to be accepted by the village after her father went on a wild killing frenzy with a knife a few years back, making the village not want to associate with her.  The Sanzo Party realizes that, though her powers are being used for good, in the end it's still simply cheating in order to gain acceptance.  In fact, the moment Kasane actually revives a man from the dead the village starts to become worried about her powers, & when one villager who was healed by her reveals that her healing results in them feeling no pain when hurt as well as heal almost-instantly, the entire village starts treating her like a monster.  It's an interesting way of handling this idea of using something valuable to, essentially, "buy" the acceptance of others, as what Kasane is doing is well-intentioned, but at the same time her reasons for doing so are not selfless.  Finally, the ending is actually shockingly somber, with no real cheering up in the last moments; rather, it goes from a real downer of an ending to just simply stating "THE END".  But, to be honest, I really like how the story goes for the downer ending, as it does remind one that you can't always have things end the way you want it to, and it does help make this Saiyuki anime memorable.

Still, the fact that the interactivity has been removed does linger all throughout this bootleg version.  There is that point during the demon attack I mentioned earlier, but the bigger issue is that there are tons of moments where the video simply pauses, no doubt because those were the spots where the interactivity, i.e. choices, would have come in.  Also, there are numerous spots where you see a "PASSWORD" block in the bottom-right corner, which also just continually reminds you that there was so much more to this production.  Luckily, this bootleg actually has really good English subtitles, if maybe being a bit too literal at points.

Much like most Saiyuki anime productions, the animation itself is done by Studio Pierrot, and Kibou no Zaika looks very much like an episode of the original TV series, right down to the often use of limited animation, close-ups while the original shot is used as a still, and the grainy filters that usually accompany those close-ups; really, you have to watch an episode of Saiyuki to really see how the anime does this stuff.  To be honest, though, it is a really neat use of limited animation, and it does tend to make the Saiyuki anime a pretty identifiable one.  The music is pretty much the same kind of stuff from the TV series, some of which lending a big RPG feel, which just fits all the more so with what is supposed to be an interactive anime DVD; the real shining point in the music is the awesome OST version of the first opening theme, For Real by Hidenori Tokuyama, and it is appropriately used at the climax of the final battle in this anime production.  There are no opening or ending themes.  The cast is the same as that of the TV series, and I already covered who was the main cast in the previous review, but I'll mention the cast for Kaougaiji's group, which includes Takeshi Kusao (Kougaiji), Yuko Minaguchi (Yaone), Dai Matsumoto (Dokugakuji/Sha Jien [Gojyo's brother]), & Kaoru Murota (Lirin).  Finally, Kanzeon Bousatsu is voiced by Misa Watanabe, who does a great job in making the goddess sound like the androgynous deity that he/she is.

Remove the Enix & DVD Video logos & you have the bootleg DVD cover!

Saiyuki -Kibou no Zaika-, even without the interactive bits, is still an excellent entry in the Saiyuki anime series, with a really interesting story, gutsy ending, & actual proper use of Kougaiji's gang.  Considering how ADV loved trying out all sorts of stuff back during the bubble days, it's kind of surprising that they didn't try bringing over this title in the way it was made, but likely the fact that it was made for release by Enix was the reason why we never saw this in North America.  The original R2 DVD isn't too expensive nowadays, it's about $5, before shipping, over at the Rakuten Global Market, but if you want to check this out with the bootleg English subs you only have two choices: Either buy the bootleg DVD or watch it over at YouTube, where it's been fully uploaded across multiple videos.  I still wouldn't recommend this to newcomers, as it does absolutely nothing to introduce the characters, but for existing fans of the franchise I say it's definitely worth checking out.  If I ever get the actual R2 interactive DVD then I'll update this review with my views of how the interactivity is, but as it is it's still a great story.

Saiyuki "Premium": More of a "Pilot" than a "Premium"

Kazuya Minekura's Gensomaden Saiyuki (roughly translated as "Fantastical Demon Legend Journey to the Extreme") is probably the most well-known manga adaptation of the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, known as "Saiyuki" in Japan (one change in kanji results in "West" becoming "Extreme")...  Let's be honest, Dragon Ball isn't remembered as much for its Saiyuki-related origins anymore, outside of Goku's name.  Debuting back in 1997 in Enix's shonen magazine G Fantasy the title is also known for it's TV anime adaptation, which has a total of 101 episodes across three series (2000-2001's Gensomaden Saiyuki, 2003-2004's Saiyuki Reload, & 2004's Saiyuki Reload Gunlock), all of which are infamous for having a lot of "filler" to them.

Let's be honest here: Saiyuki's story is that of Buddhist monk Genjo Sanzo going on a journey with three half-demons (Son Goku, Sha Gojyo, & Cho Hakkai) in order to stop the potential resurrection of the evil Gyumaoh/Ox King by his wife, Gyokumen Koushu, which has caused the demons of Shangri-La to go crazy & break the peace they shared with humans.  That story is so basic that it essentially doesn't just leave the door open for "filler" to enter...  There isn't even a door installed!  Because of that, across those 101 total episodes that aired on TV, only 36 are actually adapted from the original manga & it's first sequel, Saiyuki Reload (currently, the series is on its third, & final, manga: Saiyuki Reload Blast); please note that I am not counting the small bits of spin-off manga Saiyuki Gaiden that are adapted in the first TV series, nor am I counting the second half of Reload Gunlock, which is merely based on the second major story arc of the Reload manga, but is otherwise completely different.  Yes, utilizing the Saiyuki Wiki I actually counted how many episodes weren't "filler", and the total isn't even half!  Anyway, I'm starting to ramble, so let's get back on track.

Though it isn't technically a "pilot", there is a Saiyuki anime that predates the original TV series.  It was released in mid-1999, and is simply titled Saiyuki; though I am not sure where it came from, fans have come to call this two-episode OVA Saiyuki Premium, I'm guessing mainly to differentiate it from the TV series.  While Studio Pierrot has generally done every Saiyuki anime, there are two entries that they didn't do: 2011's Saiyuki Gaiden, which was animated by Anpro & was even licensed by Sentai Filmworks a year ago (remember that?), and this "Premium" OVA, which was done by Tokyo Kids.  Even though it isn't a pilot, per se, it does feature a 99% different cast than the later TV series, but is it worth checking out for those of you who love watching the hijinks of the Sanzo Party?

The Sanzo Party is hanging out at a bar in a small town located in an area that's known for its fireworks festival the next day, eating & drinking to their fullest.  Unfortunately, the happy mood is ruined by a trio of demons, who make trouble with the Sanzo Party but then run after realizing who they were fighting.  The next day the four leave the town and while driving their radio is hacked into by a mysterious person, who tells them to look behind them for the "fireworks show"...  They then see the city blown to smithereens.  Heading back the four locate the only two survivors, a girl named Mifa & her grandmother, before getting attacked by the trio of demons & their boss: Ensui, a crazed explosives expert who was sent to kill the Sanzo Party by Gyokumen Koushu.  After fighting off Ensui's goons Mifa finds out that Goku, Gojyo, & Hakkai are demons and blames the death & destruction on them, telling them to leave.  Unfortunately, Ensui has rigged Jeep, the small white dragon that turns into the jeep the four travel on, with a bomb that will explode in six hours, and only Ensui can disarm the bomb; also, Ensui is threatening to destroy the next town over, which is where Mifa & her gradmother are headed.  It might seem hopeless, but the Sanzo Party has to rescue the other town, Mifa, & Jeep...  All the while trying not to get themselves killed.

Just to get it out of the way, this story is not in the original manga, so this is yet another "filler".  Luckily, though, the story this OVA tells is actually really good, and that is likely because Kazuya Minekura herself apparently supervised the creation of this OVA, which lends a sense of canonicity to the whole thing and that's only a good thing; Minekura would later also help design the main villian of the "filler" story arc that comprises the entire second half of the first TV series.  Interestingly enough, this OVA gives Jeep more focus in a story than he ever gets in the entire manga, and I have to give credit for that.  Ensui is an entertainingly maniacal villain, with his cackling laugh, occasional use of Engrish, & love of things that go "BOOM".  Hell, even the method the Sanzo Party uses to potentially save Jeep is absolutely brilliant in its simplicity ("We're all gonna die?  Then let's drink up!").  And, to top it all off, Ensui even summons a gigantic, fire-spewing beetle to help ravage the second town, all the while he continually launches fireworks to keep up the festival mood.  If there's one main reason to watch this OVA, it's for Ensui.

That said, there are some flaws in the story.  While Mifa's anger at the Sanzo Party makes sense, her insistence on hating them when they are obviously trying to help everyone out just comes off as her being stupid, though the OVA itself seemed to recognize this near the end when Mifa's grandmother slaps Mifa in the face for being so stubbornly hateful, so I can't complain too much.  The bigger issue with the story is the inclusion of Kougaiji & his gang, specifically Yaone (a healer), which in the main story work for Gyokumen Koushu (Kougaiji being Gyumaoh's son & Gyokumen's stepson) and act as the rival group for the Sanzo Party.  I can understand including Kougaiji & Yaone for the sake of pleasing fans who wanted to see them animated for the first time, but overall Kougaiji's inclusion is pretty weak & Yaone, while doing a little more in the story, also ends up as being mostly unneeded when you consider everything.  But, overall, these flaws don't really detract too much, leaving the story really enjoyable in the end.

The first TV series is pretty infamous for utilizing some obvious cost-cutting measures in some moments, like long panning shots & minimal animation, but the OVA really makes the TV series' limited-animation moments look really nice in comparison.  Granted, there are some really nice bits of animation in the OVA as well, but otherwise the animation definitely gives off a low to below-average budget feel here, which isn't too surprising as Tokyo Kids is generally known as a studio that assists in productions, with them having very few productions of their own.  Still, the OVA does maintain Minekura's sleek & stylish character designs & the moments that do animate well can impress in the end, so overall the animation can be considered a mixed bag.

The OVA is directed by Takashi Sogabe, whose only other directorial experience seems to be the Twin Signal OVA, and overall the title does give a feeling that, while enjoyable in its own right, it could have been just a little bit better.  The music is done by Yuriko Nakamura, of Ayatsuri Sakon fame, and her songs do fit in nicely with the series, but overall there isn't anything memorable musically in this OVA, a problem that does get fixed somewhat with the TV series.  As I said earlier, the cast here is 99% different from the TV series, with the sole person going on to reprise his role in the series being Akira Ishida (Chrono in Chrono Crusade, Judeau in Berserk TV, & Katsura in Gintama), who voices Hakkai.  It's easy to see why Ishida ended up reprising the role in the TV series, because his soft-spoken demeanor just fits Hakkai's character perfectly.  The rest of the main characters, on the other hand, do an admirable job, but their replacements just better them in every way.  Gojyo is voiced by Kouichi Yamadera (Kenshiro in Fist of the Blue Sky, Kaji in Evangelion TV, Spike in Cowboy Bebop), and though his gruff voice does fit Gojyo nicely, Yamadera's performance just can't match that of Hiroaki Hirata.  Goku is voiced by Kousuke Okano (Kenzaki in Manga DVD Ring ni Kakero, Recca in Flame of Recca), and hearing Okano's deeper-voiced Goku really just shows that Souichiro Hoshi's later, high-pitched performance just fits the character better; Okano does a good job, but it just isn't the type of voice that Goku should have had.  Finally, Wataru Takagi voices Sanzo, & Takagi probably does the best job of these three, though Toshihiko Seki's later performance wins out by a hair.  Ensui is voiced by Shinichiro Miki, and he just delivers an extremely fun performance for the crazed bomber.

The Saiyuki "Premium" OVA is a neat first attempt at adapting the manga of the same name, but for everything it does really well (a fun story, entertainingly crazed villain, & surprising focus on Jeep) there's a problem right there to go with it (a stupid girl, needlessly-used rivals, some poor animation, & a miscast here & there).  Overall, it's an okay entry in the Saiyuki anime series, but it easily could have been better.  If you're a fan of the series I say it's worth hunting down as it is fully fansubbed, but if you're a newcomer to the series I say just check out the TV series or read the manga.

Ring ni Kakero 1 Returns to the Pachislot Scene! Could Season 5 Be Next?

Yeah, that's right...  I have an actual reason to talk about Ring ni Kakero 1 on this blog!  Deal with it!

Though I didn't really mention it that much in my reviews of the Ring ni Kakero 1 anime series, it's very obvious that Seasons 3 & 4 were made partially to help promote RnK1-themed pachislot machines that were out at the time of these shows' airings on Animax: Taiyo-Elec's Ring ni Kakero 1: Ougon no Nihon Jr.-hen in 2010 & Sammy's CR machine of the same name in 2011, respectively.  Hell, two of the three DVDs that Ring ni Kakero 1: Shadow were released across had promo videos for Taiyo-Elec's machine as extras!  Also, Sammy had been a sponsor for the first two seasons when they aired on TV asahi, and it suddenly makes perfect sense why Sammy was an outright production partner for Ring ni Kakero 1: Sekai Taikai-hen.  Let's face it: The only way more Ring ni Kakero 1 anime will be made is if new pachislot machines get made...  And, thankfully, the chances of Season 5 being made have just increased.

Yeah, that's what it says: Pachislot Ring ni Kakero 1: Girishia Jyuni Shin-hen (a.k.a. Twelve Gods of Greece Chapter).  The machine isn't out yet, and there's nearly a 100% chance that the Toei-produce animation is only for the machine itself, but the fact that a new RnK1 pachislot machine is coming out means that there's a really good chance that a Season 5 of the anime will be made sooner or later.  The fact that the pachislot machine is specifically about the Twelve Gods of Greece Chapter, which is the next story arc that the anime has to cover, only makes the chances of Season 5 being announced much higher.  My guess is that we'll have to wait for Jump Festa this December to hear any news about a Season 5, since that was the place where the past two seasons were announced, and I'm guessing that, if there is a Season 5 coming, then it will likely be a Spring 2013 show, also like the previous two seasons...  And likely it will get ignored by everyone who speaks English, also like the past two seasons were.  Spanish & Chinese anime fans?  Oh they'll sub it as soon as they can.  English anime fans?  Well, consider this: CrunchyRoll doesn't seem to care about streaming this series, & the fansubs are still stuck on Season 3, though I have heard that the rest of that season will be released subbed all at once, hence the extra wait.  As always, though, I love to proven wrong about the anime industry, since proving me wrong means that there are companies out there willing to take risks and try something different.  I'm just being realistic, that's all.

The pachislot machine only focuses on half of the gods...  So there's another six in the waiting.

Anyway, if a Ring ni Kakero 1: Girishia Jyuni Shin-hen anime gets announced then you can guarantee that I'll be talking about on this blog and, potential accessibility of the show willing, I'll review it once it's fully aired... But let's not get ahead of ourselves.  First this new pachislot machine has to result in a new anime season.

Seikimatsu Leader Gaiden Takeshi!: The Manliest First Grader You'll Ever See!

With two of the JSAT '98 pilots reviewed, let's finish this up and take a look at the third, & most obscure, one of them all...  And all I can say is "W... T... F...?"

There is a commonly referred to "Big Three" in Shonen Jump, made up of One Piece, Naruto, & Bleach, but that terminology is mostly invalid nowadays, since Bleach has tended to not be in the #3 slot as much for the past few years.  Taking it's place is the gourmet/battle manga Toriko, created by Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro.  Toriko is, essentially, an 80s "man"-ga (yeah, I know it's a bad pun) being made in modern times, right down to the anti-bishonen character designs, wild action sequences, & tons of muscles in your face.  But, before doing Toriko, Shimabukuro had already worked on another big hit for Shonen Jump: Seikimatsu Leader-den Takeshi! (which roughly translates to Tale of the Leader at the Century's End Takeshi!).  Looking at those pair of videos I mentioned in the One Piece pilot review, Takeshi was commonly a part of the Top 3 (usually #2 or #3) shortly after its late-1997 debut up until its abrupt end in 2002, which I'll get to later.  Naturally, a hit manga will get the pilot treatment, but unlike it's fellow JSAT '98 pilots, Takeshi never became a full-fledged TV anime...  And after seeing this pilot I think I understand why.

From the moment he was born, Takeshi was born to be a leader; his first word upon birth was "leader", and his father, Hiroshi, was a "leader" among salarymen.  After Hiroshi died suddenly Takeshi made it his life goal to be a leader like his father, so he joins his new first grade class and hopes to become a true leader to his classmates.

The basic idea of Takeshi is fun enough, though a little bland, so one might be wondering if there's anything "special" about the execution.  Well, there is something special about Takeshi, and it's the "man" himself...

No, you're not seeing things...  This is Takeshi.  This is a first grade student, right down to the muscular body, chest hair, blue-colored five o'clock shadow, giant nostrils, & flat hair that, in some shots, reveals that he's balding slightly in the back of the head...  Wait, that's NOT how a first grader should look!  This is how a first grader should look:

There we go: The big eyebrows, flowing hair, and obvious balding...  Wait, no, that's Kimuro Moukou (a.k.a. Kimumo), a notorious liar and classmate of Takeshi's.  You know what?  Screw it, what do the sixth graders look like?

This is Kandore & Andore, two sixth-grade bullies...  Yeah, that's about accurate as to what sixth graders look like.  All right, enough of the joking around; yes, there are normal-looking students in this title, and these four are simply the odd-four-out...  But this is honestly where most of the entertainment & humor in this pilot comes from.  Going into this I knew that Takeshi was a weird-looking kid, but I didn't think that there would be others like him, and these weirdos definitely kept me watching.

Anyway, the Takeshi pilot is made up of three individual stories: The first introduces Takeshi to his classmates & deals with Takeshi taking on Andore & Kandore, who ended up beating on a classmate so badly that he has multiple marks all over his body; the second introduces Kimumo & his friend Hiro during a class trip, and when Hiro ends up hanging by a rope after trying to cross an old bridge with Kimumo it's up to Takeshi to rescue him; the final story is about Nana Kawakami, a (normal-looking) girl from Takeshi's class who's moving away after Valentine's Day & Takeshi has to keep her spirits up when she's at her saddest.  It's a nice mix of stories, and all three handle their issues in interesting ways.

When dealing with Andore & Kandore, Takeshi simply bursts into their class in a mad rage & beats both of them with one punch...  Before being reprimanded by the teacher for his violent behavior.  When trying to save Hiro, Hiro loses his grip on the rope and falls to his death...  So Takeshi jumps down after Hiro, grabs him & tosses him back up to safety, realizes that he's now in a predicament before remembering the "Leader Wave", a hadouken-esque maneuver that let's him break the fall (maybe).  When trying to cheer up Nana, Takeshi simply starts yelling, telling her to "man up" and take any challenge that gets in her way full-bore with bravery...  And Nana agrees with him, leaving him her scarf as a token of appreciation (& maybe love) before so moves away.  It's honestly hard to tell if this title is trying to be an all-out parody or if it's trying to take itself seriously, or even trying to do both.  But, regardless, all three stories are certainly entertaining & you can never tell what's going to happen next.  The title mixes in traditional school fare with moments that just take you by surprise by how they happen & truly make you go "WTF".

The pilot was animated by AIC, but aside from that I honestly don't know who any of the staff are, so I'll simply talk about what I can.  The music definitely goes for the old-school 80s style of gruff music (when Takeshi is introduced to his class, the music makes it sound like Takeshi is a monster, before being accepted right away by the class), but there's also some more upbeat songs to go with the more traditional moments.  There is an insert song, Takeshi! by Double Outsu, and it's used at the end when Nana leaves Takeshi a good-bye note, so it's an upbeat pop song that works well for the scene.  From what I could find of the cast, Takeshi is voiced by Yuichi Nagashima (a.k.a. Cho), and he makes no attempt to make Takeshi sound young; Nagashima makes Takeshi sound like he's fifty-years older than he really is, and I wouldn't have it any other way.  Kimumo is voiced by Wataru Takagi, and he follows Nagashima's style by making Kimumo sound older than he really is, though only by about forty years in this case; it just makes the joke of Hiro always calling Kimumo "ossan/old man" work all the more.  Nana is voiced by Satomi Koorogi, and she does a nice job making Nana sound like the six-year-old girl she plays.  Rounding out what I could find of the cast is Kazuhiko Inoue (Hiroshi), Ryuzaburo Otomo (Andore), & Kiyoyuki Yanada (Kandore).

Seikimatsu Leader Gaiden Takeshi! (no, I don't know why the title uses "Gaiden" instead of just "Den") follows the One Piece & Hunter X Hunter pilots by being really fun & enjoyable, but in this title's case it also doubles as being the only way to ever see Takeshi animated.  Like I said in the beginning, after seeing this pilot I think I understand why Takeshi never received a TV series: It's just too "weird" for a traditional timeslot.  If Takeshi was the only odd-looking character then I could have seen it get a TV series, but with so many oddballs in this title (and I'm sure the manga has even more) it just would be too unappealing for a traditional timeslot.  Hell, I think it's still too weird for a late night slot.  Anyway, even if it did get a long-running TV series it would have been canceled by mid-2002, since that's when the manga was abruptly ended due to child prostitution.  Yeah, in August 2002 Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro was arrested for allegedly paying a 16-year-old girl 80,000 yen to perform lewd acts the previous Novemeber.

In 2005, though, after doing his time Shimabukuro was allowed to publish a few more chapters of Takeshi in Super Jump so that the title could have a proper ending.  In fact, the only reason why Shimabukuro was given a second chance to do a Shonen Jump title was apparently because he's best friends with Eiichiro Oda, who pleaded with Shueisha to give the man one more shot, and considering how popular Toriko is in Japan it's obvious that Shimabukuro deserved a second chance.  Anyway, the Takeshi pilot is rare, with the VHS release being not as common as the One Piece & Hunter X Hunter VHS tapes, and even the raw I watched was a FLV file with a really small resolution for today's standards.  Still, if you can hunt it down & enjoy something truly off-the-wall crazy then this pilot is definitely worth checking out.

One Piece: Taose! Kaizoku Ganzack: "We Are!" not Toei... We Are Production I.G.!

There's no need to introduce One Piece to anime & manga fans.  Even if you haven't read or watched any of it, you've at least heard about One Piece, simply because it's been the #1 title for Shonen Jump ever since it's debut in December of 1997.  I recently saw a pair of videos on YouTube that listed the Top 3 Jump mangas every half-year from the magazine's debut in 1968 all the way up to 2007, and One Piece made it's first appearance on the second video as the #1 Jump manga for the first half of 1998 and, outside of the first half of 2005, it's been #1 every half year from that point on...  Yeah, One Piece essentially was the manga to read from day one.  For a blog about obscure & forgotten anime & manga a title like One Piece should be kryptonite, but I love this title too much to ignore it and, luckily, there is an obscure One Piece anime out there...  And I'm not talking about any of the movies or the TV specials, though the TV specials would just make the cut to make it onto this blog, admittedly.  No, I'm talking about the JSAT 1998 Pilot!

Remember when I reviewed the Hunter X Hunter pilot?  Back then I mentioned the Jump Super Anime Tour, which was an almost-every-year occasion Shueisha would do where they would commission new animation based on their popular manga and show them off via roadshow; nowadays the JSAT still exists as a precursor to Jump Festa, though it's sometimes called the "Jump Festa Anime Tour".  Anyway, for JSAT 1998 Shueisha showed off three new anime pilots: Hunter X Hunter, Seikimatsu Leader Gaiden Takeshi!, and the subject of today's review: One Piece: Taose! Kaizoku Ganzack/Defeat the Pirate Ganzack!.  It's a 30-minute production that predates the TV series, is not animated by Toei, and features a completely different cast...  But, unlike the Hunter X Hunter pilot, this actually can appeal to a wider audience.

Luffy, Zoro, & Nami are in the middle of nowhere on their little dinghy without any food (Luffy & Zoro ate it all), when all of a sudden they're attacked by a gigantic missile.  In the chaos Nami is kidnapped by a Sea King (i.e. a giant sea monster) & Luffy & Zoro get washed up on the shore of a nearby island.  Turns out this island has recently been taken over by Ganzack, a villainous pirate who aims to use his technology to become the Pirate King, and in return for giving them a great meal Luffy & Zoro agree to help a little girl, decked in armor, named Medaka rescue her father from Ganzack.  At the same time, Nami has agreed to join Ganzack in an attempt to look for any treasures the captain has gathered.

As any fan of One Piece can tell already, this pilot doesn't happen in the manga.  Not only that, but it's potential placement in the story is early...  Literally, this pilot would take place between episodes 8 & 9 of the Toei anime.  This is before the trio even meet Usopp & gain their pirate ship, the Going Merry!  Still, the fact that this pilot is an original "filler" story means that it is actually worth watching for all fans of One Piece from the simple fact that it's something new to them.  This story was never redone in Toei's adaptation as a filler, so it's only viewable via this pilot.  Of course, all of that would mean nothing if the pilot sucked, but thankfully this pilot is really good.

Luffy, Nami, & Zoro all act like they should, which means it's easy for newcomers to just jump right into this pilot anytime they want, though the lack of 5/8 of the present crew might throw some fans off at first.  As for the pilot-original characters, they honestly do fit right in with the One Piece cast.  Medaka's odd armor that seems to be made just for her does indeed look like something Eiichiro Oda would design, and Ganzack also has that Oda-style design to him, right down to him wearing a back-strapped apparatus that gives him crab-like legs & claws...  Just don't call him a crab. (That's Ganzack-sama to you!)  Ganzack's use of technology like giant cannons just really works for him, and it honestly does make the character pretty memorable, not to mention the fact that he tamed a Sea King, which I can't really recall as happening in the actual story all that often, if at all.

The story itself is a simple one, but it also feels like something you could see Toei have done for a filler story arc, though Toei would have stretched this out to at least three episodes or so, obviously.  The best thing about this pilot, though, is that it doesn't interfere with the main story, but rather seems like it could have honestly happened; hell, at the end of the story Luffy, Zoro, & Nami even get a new dinghy to sail on, just so that they can still follow the original story when they land on the island that Usopp calls home.  Admittedly, this pilot doesn't really do anything different or new, but that's a pretty moot point simply because this is the very first One Piece anime ever made & was just made to make fans (& probably some potential sponsors & studios) salivate at the mouth at the potential of an actual One Piece TV series.

Though One Piece is Toei's baby, they did not do this production; instead, the similarly-legendary Production I.G. was brought in to animate One Piece for the very first time.  This pilot is directed by Goro Taniguchi (director of Code Geass, GUNxSWORD, & Planetes), and he does a great job at keeping this production feel truly like One Piece.  The character designs are done by Hisahi Kagawa (of Toriko, Ray, & Wangan Midnight fame), and though they do look different from the style we're all accustomed to via the TV series, Kagawa's style still does a really good job; if anything, Kagawa does make Luffy, Zoro, & Nami look younger than they do in the TV series.  The music was done by Toshiya Motomichi (of which this is his only anime work), and I actually really like the direction Motomichi went, as it's a really cool jazzy-rock soundtrack; it definitely doesn't sound like Kohei Tanaka & Shiroh Hamaguchi's music for the TV series, but it still fits One Piece really well.  There is no opening theme, but the ending theme, Grand Line by Chie & Makun, is also a neat jazzy-rock song that fits the series very well; it certainly is no We Are!, but I could have easily seen this be a great ending theme to compliment We Are!.

I will admit that I absolutely love the Japanese cast for One Piece, though FUNimation's dub is no slouch of a production, but the pilot actually does feature a really great cast on its own.  Luffy is voiced by Urara Takano (Kai from Beyblade, Maria Tachibana from Sakura Wars), and she does a great job with the character; in fact, Takano's performance actually has a lot of similarities to Mayumi Tanaka's iconic performance.  Zoro is voiced by Wataru Takagi (Garrod Ran in Gundam X, Alaindelon in Beelzebub, Aoki in Hajime no Ippo), and he likewise pulls off a fitting performance, with also a similar style as that of Kazuya Nakai's later performance.  Nami is voiced by Megumi Toyoguchi (Revy in Black Lagoon, Klan Klang in Macross Frontier), and her youthful performance fits Nami very nicely, though Akemi Okamura will still be the iconic Nami to many.  As for the pilot-original characters, Medaka is voiced by Jun Tanaka (this being her "biggest" role), and she does a fine job as the fiery little girl.  Ganzack is already pretty memorable simply from his design, but he becomes all the more memorable just by being voiced by the venerable Norio Wakamoto, who definitely sounds like he was having nothing but a blast playing this pirate; the fact that Wakamoto has never been brought back to play a character in the TV series yet is just stunning.  Finally, for the fun of it, the narrator who starts this very pilot, saying the same introductory line as always, is voiced by Ikuya Sawaki (Mao from Darker than Black, Inspector Tokuno from You're Under Arrest!), and he does a great job saying those ever-memorable lines, just like Mahito Ohba.

One Piece: Taose! Kaizoku Ganzack is just great fun to watch, and is an excellent anime pilot for such a truly enjoyable series.  Since it's an original story it appeals to both hardcore fans, who would want to see their favorite title through a different lens, as well as casual fans, who would just like to see something from the series that they never saw before.  Unfortunately, don't go thinking that FUNimation will ever license this pilot, as they likely never will.  Obviously, the fact that Toei didn't make this would mean that FUNi would have to engage brand-new negotiations to license this pilot, but there's also the fact that this was commissioned by Shueisha.  There's a good reason why FUNimation has never licensed Dragon Ball: Yo! Son Goku & His Friends Return!, even though they have stated multiple times that they would love to: Much like the One Piece pilot that new Dragon Ball production was commissioned by Shueisha specifically for the JSAT (JFAT in Dragon Ball's case), so even though Toei made that new Dragon Ball production, there is likely some trouble coming from Shueisha (who co-owns Viz), hence why you'll likely never see either of these productions brought over here.  Luckily, the One Piece pilot has been fansubbed, so it's out there for any adventurous fans out there who want to see One Piece before We Are! blared out of the speakers of Japanese televisions back in 1999.  I mean, come on, this is the Great Age of Pirates, afterall...